Monday, January 13, 2014

Happy 35th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Yesterday, January 13, my parents celebrated 35 years of marriage! If I were on top of things I would have posted this blog on their anniversary, but I am a mom of three and still playing catch up from Christmas and being out of town this weekend. None the less I want to honor my parents for their commitment to marriage. I often say about parenting and it applies to marriage as well, "marriage is one of the best and hardest journeys". I have watched my parents walk through challenges, get mad at each other and swear they cannot make it another day. However, I have also witnessed how they love and care for one another. How they protect one another and laugh together. I've heard it said that our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses. That traits that make us fall in love with our spouse will also be the things that drive us crazy about them.Meet my mom. She is strong. She is one of the hardest working women I know. She serves others in such selfless ways. She genuinely cares for people and wants to see them succeed. She gives and gives, probably too much of herself, but it is what I love and admire about her. She craves organization but she lives with my dad. Now meet my dad. He is often relaxed and not concerned with details. He is always saying, "Don't sweat the little things in life" and he means it. I've heard it said, "You can't live on love" but my dad takes the "You can't" out of the sentence and tells me "Live on love!" He has the gift of making a new friend wherever he goes, which both embarrasses me and challenges me. What if we all got out of our bubbles and took the time to listen to a stranger? My parents are quite different but through the years, the good times and the challenging times they have committed to love each other when they feel it and when they don't. What a lesson for a culture who throws love away on a whim because they just don't feel it anymore.Thank you mom and dad for loving Jesus and loving each other. For recognizing the imperfections in each other and still choosing to love anyway. I love you both and I am so blessed to be your daughter! I wish you many more years of crazy love!

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."John 13:34